Absolutely Necessary Education - Part 1
Nahen and Seere had returned from the human realm and settled back into their daily routine. The process of expanding the military and training new troops had created a mountain of tasks. While the corps commanders and their deputies handled the initial selection of talent, the final approval still fell to the Demon King herself. As a result, Nahen had taken over a portion of Seere’s workload, leaving her to drown in a sea of documents and endless stamps.
That was when a woman entered Nahen’s office.
“Lord Nahen.”
“What is it, Secily?”
It was Secily, the ever-loyal maid of the Demon King’s castle. She offered a polite greeting before fixing her gaze on him.
“Before I speak, please understand that I’m not questioning your educational policies in any way.”
“…Uh, right.”
Secily had begun with quite the disclaimer. “I have a suggestion regarding the curriculum.”
A suggestion about the lessons. Nahen was caught off guard. Had Seere complained to her that his classes were boring? Just to be sure, he asked, “Are you saying my lessons aren’t… fun?”
“Pardon?”
“Did Seere say my classes were boring or something…?”
“No, that’s not it at all. This is simply my personal opinion.”
“Oh?”
Since it was Secily’s personal suggestion, Nahen decided he should at least hear her out. When he invited her to speak freely, she dropped something rather shocking.
“Her Majesty requires sexual education.”
“……Huh?”
The sheer surprise made Nahen blurt out a rather foolish sound. Yet Secily’s eyes remained completely serious.
“This year, Her Majesty turns twelve and will soon be thirteen.”
“Y-yeah, that’s true.”
“And yet, when we were in the human realm recently, I heard something truly shocking.”
“Shocking? What was it?”
“Her Majesty still believes babies are delivered by dragons.”
Nahen’s mind went blank for a moment. Don’t tell me it’s the same as that stork nonsense…? His guess was exactly right.
Secily continued with a grave expression. “Her Majesty has received zero sex education! These days, even eight- or nine-year-olds know better than to spout that dragon nonsense, yet she still believes it!”
“Uh… yeah, that is pretty bad.”
“Exactly! Her Majesty absolutely needs proper sexual education. What if she gets swept up by some sleazy bastard later? It’d be a disaster!”
“!”
That was indeed a disaster. If Seere fell for some shady character and neglected her duties because of it, Nahen would never reach the ending he sought. Besides, he couldn’t stand the thought of the girl he had carefully raised being taken in by some unworthy fool.
Now that he’d heard Secily’s argument, sexual education did seem absolutely necessary. Nahen nodded.
“You’re right. It is needed.”
“Thank you, Lord Nahen. I knew you would guide her well.”
“…You want me to do it?”
“Who else would teach her?”
Nahen cleared his throat, visibly flustered. “Secily, wouldn’t it be better if you handled this?”
“How could I possibly presume to teach Her Majesty? I am neither in the proper position nor qualified for such a task.”
“Still, it would be better for someone of the same sex to teach her. I may be her instructor, but I’m a man. Seere wouldn’t feel comfortable learning something so embarrassing from a male.”
“Hmm, that does make sense…”
Secily was about to agree on principle when several memories suddenly surfaced. A sly smile spread across her face as she made her suggestion.
“Even so, I believe Her Majesty would prefer to learn such things from you, Lord Nahen—the one who has always taught her everything.”
“M-me…?”
“Yes.”
Nahen fell into deep contemplation over Secily’s proposal. He recognized the necessity. Seere was about to enter what would be middle school age in human terms; she needed to know these things. But teaching it himself was an entirely different matter.
No matter how innocent she was, precisely because she was a child, he needed to be even more careful. What if she was traumatized by hearing such explicit information from the opposite sex? It would be far better for someone who felt like a mother figure to teach her.
“…Ah.”
There was one person perfectly suited for the role.
“Secily.”
“Yes?”
“Please bring Rea here.”
“……Sigh.”
Secily suddenly let out a heavy sigh. Nahen looked at her questioningly, but she offered no explanation. She simply bowed her head and accepted the order.
“I will bring the head maid at once.”
“Uh… yeah, thanks.”
After Secily left, Nahen wore a slightly puzzled expression. Right before she’d gone, she had clearly looked dissatisfied.
…What was that about?
Nahen wasn’t a fool. It seemed Secily was unhappy that he hadn’t taken on the lesson himself. The problem was that he couldn’t figure out why.
“…The way demons think is still so difficult to understand.”
#
Rea was the head maid of the Demon King’s castle and, surprisingly, one of the strongest individuals under Seere’s command. Despite her delicate and gentle appearance, her combat ability ranked second only to Kain, the chief butler, among the castle’s staff.
“Ah, Rea.”
“You called for me, Lord Nahen?”
She had also served as Seere’s nanny, caring for the girl since she lost her mother at a young age. Although Seere was fond of Secily, she relied on Rea even more. That was why Nahen believed no one was more suitable for this particular education than Rea.
She was the same sex as Seere, possessed a warm, motherly presence the girl could trust, and had her complete confidence. Secily and Lynn felt more like older sisters than maternal figures, and Lynn was currently too busy with the military expansion plans.
“I have a favor to ask.”
When Nahen mentioned needing a favor, Rea tilted her head.
“A request from you, Lord Nahen… Does this concern Her Majesty?”
“…It does.”
Her insight was sharp. Having once managed the entire inner workings of the Demon King’s castle, her perceptiveness ran deep. Sometimes her quick wit even made Nahen feel slightly intimidated.
“I will listen to the details before deciding.”
“Does that mean you might refuse?”
“Of course. If the request is unreasonable, I must.”
“Rea, you know I’m not the type to make unreasonable demands of others, don’t you?”
“You did with Lady Sitri.”
“That was…”
Because she was someone I needed to make use of.
When Nahen narrowed his eyes, Rea politely lowered her head in apology.
“Forgive me. I simply felt like teasing you a little.”
“…Never mind. Let’s get to the point.”
Nahen’s expression and aura grew completely serious. Seeing how grave he looked, Rea unconsciously tensed up.
“Seere needs sexual education.”
“……Pardon?”
When Rea’s face twisted into a strange expression, Nahen waved his hand dismissively.
“…This wasn’t my idea, so please don’t misunderstand.”
“Ah… I see.”
“It’s true! Secily suggested it, and after hearing her out, I realized how necessary it is. Seere still thinks babies are brought by dragons, after all.”
“Hmm, that is rather extreme. Now that I think about it, I don’t believe I’ve ever taught Her Majesty about that subject.”
“Right? So you understand the need now?”
“Yes. Shall I teach her properly, then?”
Nahen had been about to agree readily when he sensed something off. Properly? As if there were such a thing as teaching it improperly. Though something felt strange, Nahen couldn’t quite place it and simply nodded.
“Yes, I’m counting on you.”
“Understood. Then if you could leave her schedule open for me for one day, that should suffice.”
“…One day?”
Nahen was slightly taken aback by the idea that sexual education would require an entire day. But Rea’s utterly confident expression made him think this must be normal among demons, so he let it pass.
“Then I’ll let Seere know there are no lessons tomorrow.”
“Very well.”
Rea gave a polite, shallow bow. Nahen nodded, trusting her completely.
He had no idea what consequences this decision would bring him.
#
“And that’s how it came to be, Your Majesty.”
“U-um, yes.”
“Today, I will be the one teaching you.”
Seere stared at Rea with obvious tension. Rea adjusted her glasses and pointed her slender pointer at the words written on the blackboard.
“Please read this aloud, Your Majesty.”
“Re… productive… organ?”
“Whether human, demon, or angel… whether one gives birth to live young or lays eggs, this is the term for the reproductive organs that most living creatures possess.”
“Uhh…”
“So there’s no need to feel embarrassed at all. Reproduction is a natural desire and instinct for any living being, and reproductive organs are simply the tools that make it possible. While their location differs between species, for intelligent races such as demons, humans, and angels, they are generally located between the thighs—in the groin area.”
Rea’s extremely direct explanation left Seere with no choice but to close her mouth and nod. No matter how ignorant she was about such matters, she instinctively understood that this was an embarrassing topic.
“Males and females possess different organs. Did you know that?”
“Different…? How are they different?”
Seere tilted her head. Different? In what way? She had no idea.
When Seere showed confusion, Rea explained simply. “The most significant difference is that a male’s reproductive organ protrudes outward, while a female’s is located internally.”
“Protrudes…? It sticks out?”
“Yes. Exactly. You catch on quickly.”
Seere tried to imagine it for a moment, then immediately stopped because it seemed gross. She tilted her head again and asked, “Is there a reason they’re so different…?”
“There is. That’s what I’m about to explain.”
Rea erased the words on the board and wrote new ones with chalk. When Seere saw them, her face turned bright red. Rea pointed at the new words.
“How do we read this?”
“Se… sec…”
“Properly!”
“Sex…”
“Correct. This is the ultimate act between a man and woman who love each other—the reproductive act that creates new life. Sex, or sexual intercourse. It is precisely for this act that male and female reproductive organs have different shapes.”
“U-um…? What does that mean…”
“You know how babies are made now, don’t you?”
“…Secily told me.”
“That’s why the man must insert himself into the woman. That’s why they’re shaped differently.”
“Aah…”
Seere was a curious child. Whenever she learned new information or discovered something she hadn’t known before, her eyes would always sparkle. This time, however, they didn’t. She simply kept her head down in embarrassment.
It was true that, as Rea had said before the lesson began, these were facts she absolutely needed to know to live in the world… but this was still far too embarrassing.
When Seere let out a miserable groan, Rea offered her some encouraging words.
“Your Majesty.”
“…Yes?”
“If you pay attention to today’s lesson, I’ll also teach you how to court a man.”
“…Eh?”
“After all, a woman must know how to win the man she desires. These are techniques you can use when you eventually find a man who catches your eye. Are you not interested?”
Not interested? Far from it. For the first time since the lesson began, Seere’s eyes sparkled as she responded enthusiastically.
“I-I’ll learn!!”
“Excellent. Then it’s important to first understand sex accurately. Can you follow along?”
“Yes, I can!”
That day, Seere learned a great many things from Rea—in more ways than one.